Democratic Party Chairman Terry McAuliffe announced that he would not give Nader the credentials required to get past barricades and security personnel to enter FleetCenter because Nader's third-party candidacy could steal votes from the Democratic nominee.

"If you want to come to this convention and you want to help John Kerry become the next president of the United States, we welcome you," McAuliffe told reporters. "But we will not be giving credentials to people who are working at cross purposes and are not helping us make sure John Kerry gets elected president."

Nader said he planned to seek a credential, presumably to allow him access to delegates and the news media inside the convention hall.

Many Democrats blame Nader for costing Democrat Al Gore the White House in the 2000 election by siphoning away enough votes to tip the balance in favor of George W. Bush in New Hampshire and Florida, handing the Republican the presidency.

Nader is continuing efforts to get on the Nov. 2 ballots in some states, often with the help of Republicans who see his candidacy as a way to hurt Kerry and help Bush.

"We will not be giving Ralph Nader a credential to our convention," McAuliffe said, scoffing at Nader's theory that his candidacy would actually draw votes away from Bush rather than Kerry.

A number of GOP officials have obtained credentials from McAuliffe, allowing them to gain access to television network booths inside FleetCenter in order to offer running Republican commentary on the Democrats' proceedings. Republican officials are reciprocating at their New York City convention beginning Aug. 31 by giving a number of Democratic officials access in order to provide commentary to TV networks.

Meanwhile, despite uproar among Democrats over Bush's conduct of the Iraq war, party leaders made it clear yesterday that there's no appetite to put opposition to the war in the Democratic Party platform.

Delegates at the Democratic National Convention are expected tomorrow night to approve an Iraq policy that's hardly distinguishable from the course that the Bush administration is now pursuing.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, chairman of the convention, insisted there would be no fights inside the hall over the U.S. occupation of Iraq.

"The ... Iraq section, was adopted with strong language on multilateralism, respecting alliances, having an exit strategy," Richardson told reporters, summing up the bland approach that the platform adopts on the war.

Democratic platform writers purposely left out any specific timetable for the withdrawal of American forces.

The platform language stands in sharp contrast to the anti-war viewpoints of many rank-and-file Democrats.

A New York Times/CBS News poll earlier this month showed 72 percent of Democrats believe the United States should never have invaded Iraq.

Party leaders appear hopeful of attracting centrists and independents by sidestepping a strong anti-war plank. That leaves liberal Democrats attending the convention in the position of having to bite their tongues over Iraq.

"Everyone is quite prepared to look beyond differences over the wording of the platform to the greater threat posed by Bush," said Bob Borosage, co-director of the Campaign for America's Future, a liberal group allied with the Democrats.